Her Choice
by Pen and Paper71
Summary: How had it come to this? Spoilers for Fire Emblem Gaiden and Fire Emblem 3.


A/N- This fic ended up being on the short side too, so I hope it's okay. I hope that you enjoy it. This contains spoilers for Fire Emblem Gaiden and Fire Emblem 3, Book 2. Feedback is always welcome and appreciated.

Disclaimer: I do not own the Fire Emblem series or anything related to it.

A cool breeze brushed against her cheek as she tacked up her war dragon, who, although small by dragon standards, was as strong and loyal as any of her species. Est didn't doubt for a moment that the dragon was up to the task at hand, although she doubted whether she herself could really do as she intended.

"This is for the best. I've caused everyone so much pain…" Est whispered, as she finished up with the saddle. _Especially him_, she finished silently, not able to put the thought into words, even when alone.

Tears ran down her cheeks as she reached for her dragon's bridle, grateful that no one had noticed her movements in the darkness of the night. A soft, ragged sob escaped her throat as she finished strapping the bridle on her dragon's head, earning her a concerned snort from the large animal.

She quickly reached out to stroke the dragon's face and whispered soothingly, "It's okay, Camilla. You'll see. It'll be alright." Even as she spoke the words, she wondered whether her words were really meant to comfort the dragon beside her or to comfort herself.

Wiping the tears from her eyes, Est took Camilla's reins and led her outside. _Abel, Palla, Catria… They'll never forgive me_. The thought tore across her heart as she walked. The pain was unbearable and, at that moment, she almost turned around. But then the memories returned; the ones that haunted her at every turn these days.

Back after the War of Darkness, she'd been taken captive by Geyse and his pirate band. Her sisters had come after her, putting their own lives on the line to do so. She could easily remember the bruises, as well as the pain and exhaustion on their faces when they had finally freed her from her cell. The harshness of the battle to set her free was terribly clear to Est as she hugged her sisters tightly, just grateful that they were alive. At that moment, she had sworn that she would never allow her loved ones to be put in danger because of her again. Never again. That had been had been her vow.

It was a vow that had been too quickly broken. When the imperial army marched on Altea, both Est and her new husband had taken up arms against the invaders. Determined not to allow anything to befall her beloved husband, Est had picked up her lance again for the first time since the war in Valencia had ended. Her good intentions turned into disaster as she found herself shot out of the sky and then taken prisoner. She doubted that she would ever forget the sound of Abel's distraught voice as he called out to her.

This time, she had managed to put even more people in danger. Abel of course, but also Palla, Catria, Cain, and Prince Marth, all who clearly went out of their way not to kill Abel, while he, although very much against his will, sought their lives.

Her rescue had occurred just in time to save her life, but not in time to save her loved ones, her husband in particular. Fortunately, no one had been killed and most of the physical scars would heal with time, but she doubted that the mental and emotional ones would go away so easily. The trust that they had all once shared had been broken in cruelest of ways. Simple apologies do not fix such things.

Abel had suffered worst of all. It was clear to anybody who looked into those gentle green eyes that he was a broken man. After that battle, he'd fought like a madman, seeming to be without any concern for his own life. She brought it up a few times, but he always brushed off her concerns, so she finally just made a point of staying near him at all times so that she could protect him.

The pain in Abel's eyes was simply too much for her to bear. Est wondered sometimes if he even still loved her. If she was perfectly honest with herself, she'd not have blamed him if he didn't.

He had remained distant from his old friends during the war and stayed so even now that the war had drawn to a close, especially from Cain, who had once been like a brother to him. After a couple failed attempts to talk, Cain too had given up and now they didn't even acknowledge each other when they passed. That Cain's name had been added to the list of people she had injured only made it all hurt even worse. He had not only been like a brother to Abel, but also to her as well by this point.

A loud thunderclap brought her back to the present. Glancing up into the dark sky, Est could see the traces of clouds gathering. The rain would start soon. If she was going to make any progress before the storm set in, she had to leave now.

"I'm so sorry," she whispered, with one last, wistful glance back at the darkened camp. With that, she urged Camilla into the sky and raced away, leaving no trace of her trail.


End file.
